The mere mention of his name always brings about a mixed reception - there are some Magpies fans who would welcome him back with open arms, and some who would tut at the mere mention of his name.

Now I do like Carroll as a player, don’t get me wrong, but I am not sure bringing the former Geordie favourite back from West Ham United would be the piece of transfer business I would necessarily be targeting in January.

I do believe Newcastle need to sign another striker during the upcoming transfer window - Papiss Cisse doesn’t look like he wants to be there to be perfectly honest - I just don’t think it should be Carroll.

Not only has the 26-year-old been struck down by a series of unfortunate injury problems, but he also plays the game in an extremely similar way to Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Both of them are six-foot-odd battering rams who, though good on the ball, are there to act as important target men.

I just cannot see a way to fit both of them into the same side. If anything, they’re going to get in one another’s way.

From what I have seen of Mitrovic so far at Newcastle, I think he has plenty of potential and, at just 21 years of age, he has time on his side to develop into a top-class Premier League centre-forward.

Surely bringing in Carroll would merely stunt that progress?

It wouldn’t make sense for the England international to leave West Ham to sit on the bench at St James’ Park, which therefore surely means £13million summer sign Mitrovic would get less gametime. That wouldn’t make any sense to me. I don’t believe that would be a positive for Newcastle.

Instead, I’d like to see them bring in an alternative type of striker in January to act as a foil to Mitrovic: a poacher, a goalscorer, a finisher.

In fact, I wrote last week that I thought Adam Armstrong would be ready to fight for a first-team place on Tyneside come January and I really feel he is the sort of forward who would be ideal alongside Mitrovic.

He may be just 18 years of age but the 12 goals he has scored already this season will have filled him with confidence. Sure it would be a gamble but I believe it’s definitely one worth taking.

Armstrong is quick, could run on to the end of Mitrovic’s flick-ons and runs, and he is a finisher. In my opinion, he’s exactly what United need.

I know Charlie Austin keeps getting linked and, were it not for his historical fitness problems, I’d say it’d be worth going for him.

But I think £10million-£15million is still a risk - though if United are willing to splash the cash then fair enough, it just doesn’t seem much of a Mike Ashley-type move to me.

Around this time of year, season after season, we hear these same rumours linking Carroll with a return to St James’ Park.

But I don’t believe it would be a signing that would make sense for Newcastle. They need a goalscorer, not another battering ram.

If United are going to bring one Geordie back to Tyneside in January, my vote would not be going to Carroll - it’d be going to Armstrong.